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©The Author(s) 2005. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 7, 2005; 11(33): 5095-5102
Published online Sep 7, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i33.5095
Published online Sep 7, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i33.5095
Structural and functional aspects of the liver and liver sinusoidal cells in relation to colon carcinoma metastasis
Katrien Vekemans, Centre of Experimental Surgery and Anaesthesia, Abdominal Transplant Surgery Department, Catholic University of Leuven (KUL), Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Filip Braet, Australian Key Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, Electron Microscopy Unit, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, NSW, Australia
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by the Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders, No. 1.5.001.04N [F.B.]
Correspondence to: Katrien Vekemans, Centre of Experimental Surgery and Anaesthesia, Abdominal Transplant Surgery Department, Catholic University of Leuven, Herestraat 49, Leuven 3000, Belgium. katrien.vekemans@med.kuleuven.ac.be
Telephone: +32-16-34-58-45 Fax: +32-16-34-87-43
Received: September 26, 2004
Revised: October 15, 2004
Accepted: October 18, 2004
Published online: September 7, 2005
Revised: October 15, 2004
Accepted: October 18, 2004
Published online: September 7, 2005
Abstract
Nowadays, liver metastasis remains difficult to cure. When tumor cells escape and arrive in the liver sinusoids, they encounter the local defense mechanism specific to the liver. The sinusoidal cells have been widely described in physiologic conditions and in relation to metastasis during the past 30 years. This paper provides an “overview” of how these cells function in health and in diseases such as liver metastasis.
Keywords: Metastasis, Liver, Colon carcinoma, Sinusoidal cells, Kupffer cells, Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, Hepatic NK cells